Chosun University Rose Festival….

This Sunday was the annual Chosun Rose Garden Festival which is held every May here in Gwangju. It happens to be the 2nd largest in Korea with a fairly impressive 17,000 roses on hand from a variety of over 200 kinds. The largest being the Seoul Grand Park Rose Fest which usually hits around late May, early June.We took advantage of some perfect weather to make our way over from the Dong on the 27 bus to check it out. Chosun University is a very pretty campus so even a walk around the school makes for a good stroll if you’ve got nothing better doin on a nice day.

The festival was a slight disappointment in that the roses had not quite bloomed as expected by this time which is due in part to the longer winter weather. There were a few very pretty blooms but overall you could see that the real showcase wouldn’t be taking place for about another week or so. Nonetheless, we snapped some shots, watched the Korean’s pose like models under the trellis and just enjoyed being outside for a while.

The good news is that anyone who missed the actual festival can be sure to catch the roses in full bloom over the next few weeks and as there is no entrance fee, its an excellent free way to spend the afternoon here in Gwangju.